So much for Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

Let's just start back up as if I never left off. Kayla's now pushing the ripe old age of 2.5 yrs. She can still throw down a serious tantrum when she hears the word "No", but at least now she understands that a two minute time out will follow. Of course, getting to the two minutes may still take up to 20 minutes (any Super Nanny fans out there?).

Kayla is chatting up a storm these days. Sometimes she's like my own little parrot. I find myself saying things just to hear her try to repeat it back...i.e. Mommy's sooo pretty, Daddy's job is to keep Mommy happy, I hope the stocks go up today so Mommy can retire early, etc. She also asks Watz dat Mommy? about every five minutes.

She's really good at "helping" now too. Yesterday when I picked her up from school she was eating a marshmallow. The teacher told me she got one for being the Super-duper-cleaner-upper for the day. So, I thought I'd try that title out at home and see where it would get me...yeah right, she's too smart for that.

Here's a pic of my little pride and joy to tide over any loyal readers that are still out there until I scrap some more....

Kayla still holds onto "baby" and sucks her thumb. Remember the old pillows that calmed her in the car seat? I've whittled it down to this more manageable size so far.

Boo! Happy Halloween

Kayla's first Halloween was low key and fun. Kayla walked with her Daddy over to a couple of the neighbors to get a lollipop and she was set for the night. Or, I should say very wound up for the night. We sat out in front of the house to pass out candy. Kayla "helped"...okay, she really didn't understand the concept of giving away "her" candy. One time she actually started running after the kids yelling cookie! cookie! All sweets are cookies to her.

Well, at least we had a chance to practice sharing.

Daddy's Princess

I wish I could bottle up the happiness from days like this and take sips of it years from now like an old vintage wine. Instead, I'll finally post a little again.

Kayla is 22 months old and has been at her forever home just short of a year. It feels like we've always been parents and yet still have no clue. Currently we're battling a biting issue (again...sigh) and have made it through two phases of toddler meltdown mania. We've got a B U N C H to learn.

(I would like to take a moment to give a little shout out to whichever parent it is pressuring the preschool to kick out our precious little biter---Hey Other Parent of Whatever Oh So Perfect child of yours --- I hope your child wets the bed until well into his/her thirties!)

Kayla is a constant observer and soaks up the most minor details. It's so funny to see me and Bobby mirrored in what she does. She's speaking more and more toddler-eez. I'm planning to get her some Mandarin videos for kids...although I'm pretty sure if it's not Elmo speaking Chinese, she won't be too interested yet.

Last week we transformed the crib into a toddler bed. Mommy was a little sad...but once I saw her eyes light up about her big girl bed, I got over it...mostly.

One of Kayla's favorite things these days, other than Elmo, is listening to music.

And, if it's a music Elmo combination, she's in heaven.

What do I do on Friday's?

I thought going to a reduced schedule in the summer would give me plenty of time to catch up on my scrapbooking and blogging while Kayla naps. Turns out my little girl keeps me completely occupied and when she sleeps...I'm busy cleaning up from our previous fun (as seen above).

These days Kayla is all about doing things for herself. She's trying hard to repeat everything she hears...uh, if she calls anyone CRAZY, that's my fault, and her fascination with shoes has now moved to an obsession of both socks and shoes.

***We're also doing a Happy Dance for Alyson and Ford who have received their referral for a beautiful little girl. Kayla's already looking forward to a playdate.***

We finalized Kayla's readoption for Florida last week. You can see from this picture she is very over the government offices and paperwork. Sending a big thank you to Paul J. Consbruck, Esq. for making the process relatively painless.

P.S. Since we're having so much fun on the parenting track, we've applied to apply for the paperchase again. Yep, just think in 4 to 5 years, Kayla can have a Mei Mei. Maybe mama's a little CRAZY. (Okay, crossing my fingers it won't really take that long, but best to brace for a long wait).

Easter in June

Well, at least half of my Easter collage is complete so I'm showing it in June anyway. This scrapbooking stuff is addictive.

It's been a little over six months now since Kayla's been home. Sometimes it still feels like yesterday and sometimes it's hard to remember life before she was here.

Kayla's running around and babbling away in her own little baby language. I joke that sometimes when she's whispering to herself she reminds me of Children In the Corn (for anyone old enough to remember that movie...where the kids...uh...do away with their parents). Her real words at 17 months are: Mama, Dada, bath, and side which is short for outside. She's twice as tall as when we met and her hair is long enough for me to have a little fun...that is when I can get some cooperation.

What can I say? Life is better for having our Kayla in it.

Test Run for new software....& cute pics

Here's proof that we're still very much alive and kicking (ignore the watermarks, I'm testing out LumaPix:FotoFusion before I buy it...so far very cool!). The weekend tax season ended we took a family outing to The World Famous Oasis for breakfast and a walk on the beach. Kayla was having a blast until the icy water touched her feet...yeah, I really shouldn't have called her over there. I tried to blame it on Bobby, but then we watched the video replay. Bad mommy.

Edited: Wow! Has it really been a month again since I've posted or even attempted to scrapbook??? Well, I bought the software and uploaded the new pic without the distracting watermarks. Off to scrap the Easter pics.

Year of the Rat

The local FCC put on a great event at the Sawgrass Marriott. Kayla was adorable in her purple chinese silks and pigtails. The food was great and it was so nice to see all of our friends and their families. How different and wonderful it felt to be there with our baby this year! My heart goes out to the waiting familes (the wait is now upwards of 27 months from paperwork to referral). Kayla enjoyed showing off her Grandma and missed not having Grandpa there (Darn those homicides on the weekend--all in a day's work for law enforcement I guess). And, Kayla's attention was caught at the end of the night listening to the drums and watching the Lion Dance.